1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to grinding tools for machining complex part configurations, and more particularly, to an airfoil edge form transfer grinding tool for gas turbine rotor blades and vanes.
2. Description of Related Art
Complex part configurations utilize many different methods to form the desired features and surface contours. Many machining methods provide the desired shape, but are unable to provide a desired surface finish, or they leave burrs or other features that must be removed in subsequent process steps. Manual deburring operations conducted by a skilled operator can take an undesirably long time, and care must be taken not to damage the part. Further, the uniformity and consistency between parts utilizing a manual deburring process may not be sufficient for desired purposes. Also, the formation of complex part shapes and geometries can be prohibitively expensive and time consuming and may still not provide consistent uniform results.
An example of a complex part configuration that can be time consuming and prohibitively expensive to machine or otherwise form are the leading and trailing edges of aircraft gas turbine engine rotor blade airfoils. The geometry of these edge features affect the performance of the airfoil and must therefore be machined with precision in a manner that produces repeatable and consistent results.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an inexpensive and efficient method of forming the leading and training edges of an airfoil blade that reduces process time and provides repeatable and consistent results.